Swedish Royal Fashionhttp://theroyalsandi.com/Mon, 21 Jan 2019 15:25:52 +0000en-USSite-Server v6.0.0-16734-16734 (http://www.squarespace.com)Switch of Government at the PalaceSarah WilliamsMon, 21 Jan 2019 16:33:58 +0000http://theroyalsandi.com/home/2019/1/21/switch-of-government-at-the-palace57547f8ae321402ddeb4c4fb:5758461e75bcc06fca1b3742:5c45e4806d2a73efe1e5ed83Today was a big day for the Swedish Government, after agreeing on a new Prime Minister (Stefan Löfven- he is returning to the role) after 4 months of debate last week- today was the day that the new Minister Positions were announced. With this announcement comes a special Council Meeting was held at the Palace. The King presides over these meetings and the Crown Princess, as future Head of State, participates and attends to stay informed. To see a full list of the Ministers, visit Kungahuset’s post.

Photo: Kungahuset.se

For this important meeting, Crown Princess Victoria wore a classic burgundy dress from Camilla Thulin. She paired this with pumps from Rizzo and carried a matching bag (either from Abro or Marzio- both claimed it to be their design upon original wearing).

In an unusual turn of events, I can also report on something the King wore! Keeping his classic appearance, the King chose a tie from Louis Vuitton for today’s meeting.

]]>Switch of Government at the PalaceVisit to HelsingborgSarah WilliamsWed, 16 Jan 2019 23:04:02 +0000http://theroyalsandi.com/home/2019/1/15/visit-to-helsingborg57547f8ae321402ddeb4c4fb:5758461e75bcc06fca1b3742:5c3e11668a922da7854ec9b9Today, the Crown Princess is visiting Helsingborg City to visit various organizations with a general theme of Sustainability.

Pelle T Nilsson /SPA

The first stop on her trip was a visit to the City’s Development Project- DrottningH. DrottningH is the city’s joint project that has the aim of jointly developing a million-program district into an integrated and sustainable part of the city. The unique part of this project is that it is not just city administrators and cooperations working on it- but rather it is a collaboration across many different inhabitants of the district. City Administrators, Cooperations, Local Businesses, and residents of the district are working together in order for this project to take a holistic approach to both social and structural issues. The project has been met by great interest already and the city’s housing company has received Årets Boris 2018 from Boinstituet for their work in showing the importance of dialogue and involvement. The aim of this project is that all residents can participate and create a city- “a Helsingborg for all”.

After that visit she had lunch at Sofiero Castle at the invitation of the City of Helsingborg. The city invited entrepreneurs working in Helsingborg in the environmental and sustainability field. A big topic of discussion was the city’s quality of life program which focuses on the public health and the environment. This program is and will be the city’s priorities from 2016 until 2024. Another topic of discussion was Helsingborg’s city fair H22. This fair will be held for 35 days in June and July 2022. Participants from all over the world will be able to experience the city and participate in dialogue about the future of urban development. There will be 3 physical areas showcased during the fair: The Ocean Harbor, Drottninghög, and SeaU. I would not be surprised if we saw Crown Princess Victoria return in 2022 to attend the CityFair as its focus aligns with her many missions and focus areas.

After lunch, the Crown Princess and entourage took a tour of the castle and was shown “Sofias bro” (Sofia’s Bridge” which was inaugurated this past Spring. The bridge was placed over King Gustaf VI Adolf’s and Princess Margareta’s famous rhododendron ravine. This was an idea that Queen Sofia had over 150 years ago and it finally became reality in 2018. The city also showed the Crown Princess Both the playhouses and Prince Oscar Sagoskog.

The final stop of the day was a visit to NSR (Nordvästra Skånes Renhållnings AB) . NSR is a non-traditional municipal sanitation company owned by 6 northwestern municipalities. Unlike traditional waste management companies- NSR begins by proactively ensuring that materials that come into the city is reusable or recyclable. Among many things that NSR highlighted to the Crown Princess about their work was their fossil-free plastic and their world-unique “On Demand Garbage Collection”. This system means that waste is only collected when the ustomer considers that the vessel needs to be emptied.

]]>Visit to HelsingborgCrown Princess Victoria attends Day 2 of People and Defense National Conference Sarah WilliamsMon, 14 Jan 2019 23:23:57 +0000http://theroyalsandi.com/home/2018/12/28/crown-princess-victoria-attends-people-and-defense-national-conference-xwmrs57547f8ae321402ddeb4c4fb:5758461e75bcc06fca1b3742:5c26b8e440ec9ab2ea141a4fCrown Princess Victoria joined her father, King Carl XVI Gustaf, again today (14 January) for the second day of People and Defense National Conference (Folk och Försvars rikskonferens). They attended the first day of the Conference yesterday, which was her first time in attendance. This year the conference is held at Högfjällshotellet in Sälen, Sweden.

This annual conference brings together about 350 participants and hosts 50-60 different speakers for 3 days of discussion, debate, and sharing of knowledge on the world’s security. The focus of the conference is the world's security, Sweden's defense, people's security and society's emergency preparedness.

Pelle T Nilsson / SPA

The conference holds meetings between politicians, those active within organizations in civil society - including youth organizations - and representatives of trade unions, business and government. In addition, to these participants, the conference boasts a growing pool of media coverage. The entire conference is showed as a webcast which can be watched live and streamed afterwards.

The King and Crown Princess were scheduled to attend the first two days of the conference (yesterday and today), while the conference is scheduled to go on for one more day- tomorrow January 15th.

For this meeting, Crown Princess Victoria wore her grey H&M x Erdem pantsuit paired with her pink blouse from By Malene Birger (first seen for the Pink Ribbon Campaign last autumn). She finished the look with diamond earrings, her af Klingberg Rakel booties and Christina Christrsdotter Savanna bag.

This morning, both the King and Crown Princess took advantage of the beautiful mountains in Sälen and went skiing. Crown Princess Victoria was seen returning wearing a NorthFace Summit jacket and carrying her Inuikki boots.

]]>Crown Princess Victoria attends Day 2 of People and Defense National ConferenceCrown Princess Victoria attends Day 1 of People and Defense National Conference Sarah WilliamsSun, 13 Jan 2019 16:55:11 +0000http://theroyalsandi.com/home/2018/12/28/crown-princess-victoria-attends-people-and-defense-national-conference57547f8ae321402ddeb4c4fb:5758461e75bcc06fca1b3742:5c26b27c21c67c143014dd07Crown Princess Victoria joined her father, King Carl XVI Gustaf, today (13 January) for the People and Defense National Conference (Folk och Försvars rikskonferens). By my research, this is the first time the Crown Princess has attended the National Conference. She has in the past attended conferences held at People and Defense’s location in Stockholm, but never the National Conference- which this year is held Högfjällshotellet in Sälen.

This annual conference brings together about 350 participants and hosts 50-60 different speakers for 3 days of discussion, debate, and sharing of knowledge on the world’s security. The focus of the conference is the world's security, Sweden's defense, people's security and society's emergency preparedness.

The conference holds meetings between politicians, those active within organizations in civil society - including youth organizations - and representatives of trade unions, business and government. In addition, to these participants, the conference boasts a growing pool of media coverage. The entire conference is showed as a webcast which can be watched live and streamed afterwards.

The King and Crown Princess are scheduled to attend the first two days of the conference (today and tomorrow- January 14th).

Upon arrival the Crown Princess wore a blue puffer coat which we have seen multiple times before (but with no identification), a black scarf (again old but not identified), and her Inukki boots. Once inside the conference she took off her puffer coat and we could see her blue Rodebjer blazer with a black v-neck shirt underneath. She carried her Christina Christersdotter bag and on her feet were af Klingberg boots. One interesting thing to note is that upon arrival at the conference she was seen wearing a matching set of Linda Fallenius orchid earrings and necklace however once inside the necklace was removed. This is the first time we have seen her wear the matching necklace so it is a shame that we did not get better photos of it.

]]>Crown Princess Victoria attends Day 1 of People and Defense National ConferenceSwedish Royal Family: 2018 Fashion in ReviewSarah WilliamsTue, 01 Jan 2019 15:00:00 +0000http://theroyalsandi.com/home/2018/12/26/swedish-royal-family-2018-clothing-in-review57547f8ae321402ddeb4c4fb:5758461e75bcc06fca1b3742:5c23bca970a6ad8f13bede31Normally I share my data about the Swedish Royal Family’s Work Trends and Fashion Spending in one post- but this year I got a little carried away with all the data and graphs and decided to break it into 2 posts. So here is part 2 of our 2018 in Review series. If you missed Part 1, you can read it HERE.

This year, the Swedish Royal Family really took to heart championing Scandinavian (mostly Swedish) Designers. A total of 70% of the identified pieces (155 out of 222) were of Scandinavian Design. Each time they wore something new this year, we were always stretched to search harder to find these designers, because there were many new-to-us designers! The graphic below shows the 30 most used designers for the 2018 year. (It is interactive so click around to find out how many new pieces from each brand were worn!)

If you will excuse my soap box for a moment- This is exactly why I wish the Royal Court would be willing to discuss fashion and clothing more willingly with those of us looking to report on it. The family could do so much for these new Scandinavian designers if the Court announced that they were being worn- the family has a collective of about 70 new pieces that we still have not managed to identify this year and I am sure that many of them come from Scandinavian designers. Nevertheless, I digress, and will get off my soapbox now.

Crown Princess Victoria had her busiest year in the past 5 years, with 12 international trips and plenty of engagements at home in Sweden. This year also saw plenty of new pant suits and pussy bow blouses for the Crown Princess. She continues to favor Swedish brands and focus on sustainable fashion choices- even rewearing her mother’s Nobel Gown from 20+ years ago! With these conscious choices, her total came to 426,729 SEK ($47,127 USD). Her splurge purchase of the year was her Jenny Packham Peach gown worn to a wedding in the spring. She debuted a few other gowns during the year which would add to her total but they were either custom or remain unidentified (I suspect most of them to be from Pär Engsheden) so they are not included in the tally.

Princess Sofia had a busy year of keeping up with her two children while attending regular engagements for her patronages. This year, with her husband Prince Carl Philip, the couple released their own Instagram which documents many of the engagements and meetings that the couple undertake- including many which might not have previously been promoted by Kungahuset. With this, we have been able to include more events into our work data, however- this also meant we saw more pieces but had limited photos of these pieces. With all this taken into account Princess Sofia’s tally came to 299,426 SEK ($33,049 USD). Princess Sofia debuted many pieces of new jewelry this year, many of which was custom made and therefore we do not have price for. Her priciest ready-to-wear piece was a pair of earrings from Drakenberg Sjölin costing just a little over $2,700 USD (24,990 SEK).

Princess Madeleine spent much of the year out of the public eye, giving birth to her second daughter in March and then relocating her family to Florida in August. With these adjustments in family life, Princess Madeleine was not seen very often in an official capacity. She also created a Public Instagram which she has shared some family and work milestones on during the year. During the few occasions that we got to see her (social media and paparazzi photos included) her clothing tally came to 258,308 SEK ($28,493 USD). Her most expensive piece for the year were a pair of earrings from Ole Lynggaard which were worn by all the bridesmaids in Louise ‘Lussan’ Gottlieb’s wedding in June. These earrings are equivalent to almost 1/2 of her total for the year and therefore inflate her numbers significantly. While Princess Madeleine does tend to favor luxury designers like Valentino and Giambattista Valli, she also has a good number of High Street brands like Zara, Massimo Dutti, and Street Level in her new acquisitions this year.

If you would like to use these numbers for your own article- please make sure to credit me and link back to my original post. If you have any questions or want more information about the data posted here, send me an email.

]]>Swedish Royal Family: 2018 Work in ReviewSarah WilliamsSat, 29 Dec 2018 14:30:00 +0000http://theroyalsandi.com/home/work-days-201857547f8ae321402ddeb4c4fb:5758461e75bcc06fca1b3742:5c206161352f53c7fe30e1e7Normally I share my data about the Swedish Royal Family’s Work Trends and Fashion Spending in one post- but this year I got a little carried away with all the data and graphs and decided to break it into 2 posts. So here is part 1 of our 2018 in Review series. Part 2 will come out on January 1st at 10 EST and will be an analysis of fashion debuted this year.

Gott Nytt År (Happy New Year)! What a year 2018 was, for me personally as well as for the Swedish Royal Family. While I graduated from college and began teaching full time (hence my absence for most of the year)- the Swedish Family saw milestones of their own this year. With the birth of Princess Adrienne in March, the 200th Anniversary of the Bernadotte Dynasty, and the Queen celebrating her 75th Birthday just a few days ago, it has been a busy year for the family personally.

In their professional context, the family has not let their growing number of grandchildren or aging slow them down! As I have done for the past 2 years now (2016 / 2017 ), I sat down with my calendars and color coded pens in order to figure out how many days the family worked this year. These numbers reflect the number of days that an announced event is written on the Court’s Calendar, events not on the calendar but articles were written about on the Court’s website, events from the various Social Media accounts used by the family, and their various organization’s social media accounts. Multiple events in a single day is calculated as one day and not per event.

Looking at these numbers every year, I gain a growing amount of respect and admiration for the family, especially the King and Queen. Looking at the numbers, one might think (and I have seen it written) that they should work more and they should be seen more. However, one must think about all the work that is done behind the scenes and realize that what we see is probably only a quarter of the work they actually do. I think many have this false idea that all they have to do is show up for an event and that is the only work they do individually. Each event must be prepared for- from the early days of accepting what to attend, then researching and learning who they will meet, and becoming knowledgable about all the moving parts of the event, next comes the speech writing and the attendance of the event. While they do have secretaries who help them gather the information, it is up to the individual family members to learn the information and retain it so that when they are at the event they are prepared to engage with the hosts. Princess Sofia did a wonderful job of addressing what the work is like in her coverage on Året Med Kungafamiljen from SVT.

For the year of 2018, someone in the family had a publicly announced event a total of 219 days of the year. That is 60% of the days in 2018. Publicly working 148 days during the 2018 calendar year, the King worked the most days this year for the family and that has been the case for the past 8 years. The Queen normally works an average of 134 days a year (her average for the past 7 years) but this year she worked 114 days. I suspect if she had been able to attend her scheduled trip to the Olympics with the King, her numbers would have remained closer to her average.

2015-2018: Kungaparet

The Crown Princess worked 129 days in 2018, which is slightly higher than her average in years where she has not given birth. This year we saw the Crown Princess take on a few more international trips, some of which she did solo and some of which she and Prince Daniel took on together. Prince Daniel worked less days than last year, however it was still higher than his average number of days for the past 2 years. It is also important to note that many of Prince Daniel’s events with his namesake organizations, are often left off the Court’s calendar. I have tried to account for these work events by searching the various organizations (Gen Pep and Prins Daniels Fellowship) social media accounts- however I am sure there are many which he attended that did not get included in this tally.

2015-2018: Kronprinsessparet

Prince Carl Philip, Princess Sofia, and Princess Madeleine also had a busy year, both in work and in family. Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia increased their work events and began sharing more “behind-the-scenes” snippits of their work on their Instagram. Princess Madeleine gave birth to Princess Adrienne and moved with her family to Florida. She continues to work with Childhood and in the new year more information will be released about a book project she has been working on. She also created a public Instagram account this year which has mainly shared snippets of her family life but has also highlighted her various assignments with Childhood.

2015-2018: Prinsparet & Prinsessan Madeleine

The family, in total, visited 19 different countries in their public missions, spending the most time in South Korea (when the King and Crown Princess went to the Olympics). Another highly visited country for public engagements was the United States. The King, Queen, Crown Princess, and Princess Madeleine all attended official engagements in the USA and all visited the UN. The Queen was the only member to visit the same country twice this year as she made 2 separate trips to the United States. In total, the family spent 55 days of the year representing Sweden internationally.

Number of Trips Abroad

It has been a busy year for everyone, with new babies, moving across the world, and anniversaries- there has been a lot of changes for the family! It makes me wonder what 2019 will hold!

If you would like to use these numbers for your own article- please make sure to credit me and link back to my original post. If you have any questions or want more information about the data posted here, send me an email.

]]>Swedish Royal Family: 2018 Work in ReviewHappy Birthday Your Majesty!Sarah WilliamsSun, 23 Dec 2018 12:36:00 +0000http://theroyalsandi.com/home/2018/12/22/happy-birthday-your-majesty57547f8ae321402ddeb4c4fb:5758461e75bcc06fca1b3742:5c1ed83b758d46eaf19507abToday, December 23rd, Queen Silvia turns 75 years old. The family is celebrating privately at Drottningholm as they do every year. Every year the family organizes a surprise party in a different room of the palace. The Queen knows they will be celebrating- but she never knows where in the palace the party will take place!

The King began the morning by taking the stage to welcome everyone. With no prewritten script, no prewritten speech- he simply was himself. His mannerisms showed the twinkle in his eye, that the family has mentioned in countless interviews, and his words and actions showed the pride he has for his family- especially his wife.

Your Majesty, Your Royal Highnesses, Ladies and gentlemen, Staff from the Court, Foundations, all of you who are here. Welcome to the Oscar Theatre.

Yes.. This is pretty fun I think. To stand on Oscar Theatre Stage. I love being on stage and talking to everyone here. I have the feeling that many of you also wanted to stand here on stage at the Oscar Theatre! It is a dream that many have. But now I am doing it! I’ve probably been here sometime before in some other context- but above all, I remember many years ago that the lodge there… maybe the royal lodge is called? There I sat, with the queen and Prince Bertil and Princess Lilian. It was the Unicef Gala I think. And it’s dark inside. Prince Bertil always sat behind and mumbled a little and had view on the artists. But it is time-barred now! But we hoped it would not be heard on stage.

No, I’m not the main character tonight, because that is the queen. My wife, and consort. Mom, Mormor, and Farmor. It’s her we should pay tribute to today. It’s pretty early in the morning- We usually stay here in the evening. It is amazing what she has accomplished during her years here. She has started and run various foundations: Childhood and Mentors for Young People’s Rights and Opportunities- in the world and in Sweden. We also have Silviahemmet for the elderly, or “older younger” those who have dementia problems. Which is not just in Sweden but is increasing worldwide. And she also has many other tasks with time.

And I know this. She is like a little blowtorch- behind all them- As chairman of many of these foundations. And you have to be! And that’s a bit like… I know a little about this. With that in the morning, at the breakfast table, at lunch, at dinner- I always get these questions! I have become a bit of a ballboard in these contexts. I know what you do in the foundations but I also know what you are not doing. But we are not talking about that tonight! You are fantastic! It’s unbelievable. There is a lot of work behind and we have a leader sitting up there. She’s like a blowtorch. She calls around the clock. You know that is true. I know that too, because I usually sit very close. But now we should not talk more about it. I just want to welcome you to this “happening”! A show. So let the game begin!

Screenshot from SVT

Victoria said:

Dear, Dear Mamma, We humans are given limited time on our planet. We are born, we live and we move on. Some people have abilities and capabilities beyond the ordinary. You mother- are one of these. You have taken the chance and you have done your utmost to contribute and do good. You have not chosen the easy questions- but several of the most important ones. Always focus on the vulnerable. Always focus on helping and improving. Today we have had an in-depth understanding of your efforts both in and outside of Sweden. Your ability to gather good forces in common effort it inspires. For me you are great role model- and I am so proud that you are my mother. I love you.

Screenshot from SVT

Carl Philip was next:

Dear, Dear Mama, For me, courage can be shown in may different ways. Many are brave through their career choices- as a firefighter, military, or adventurer. One can also have the courage as an individual. Cutting new roads and breaking standards. You have shown it over the years. Courage can be to begin to speak about things- as others might find difficult or are difficult. Like in the the 90s to begun talking about issues such as sexual abuse of children. All this and much more than that, you have shown over the years. That is why you are role model. For so many men, women, old and young. Dear Mama, you are one of the bravest and most empathetic people I know. I am proud to have you as mother and I am proud of you because you have had such a significant part in so many peoples lives.

Screenshot from SVT

And finally Princess Madeleine:

You are brave Mama. When I was little you used to tell about children you met on trips around the world. Children who were often in very vulnerable situations. You met children in the street, you talked to the, you saw them. You told me about the children you met in prison. This was very difficult to understand and but you also told admirably, of all the enthusiast we saw examples of today. Brave people engaging and doing everything to try and make it easier for children. I remember feeling that I also wanted to help. That I now follow in your track in Childhood, and in your work feels very natural to me. I am so incredibly grateful for everything you have taught me. I am proud to follow you in Childhood words. We love you. And we are really proud of you. Now I must stop because otherwise I will cry.

Screenshot from SVT

The Queen was obviously struck and surprised. You could see her wiping tears from her eyes and when it was her turn to speak, her prewritten speech was forgotten and her words were sincere and from the moment.

What should I say..? I knew nothing. I knew that it was something going on. Many said, “We see you on the 18th” But I didn’t know what would happen. I have to say its amazing. Great to have such a wonderful family: Victoria Daniel and Little Estelle. Unfortunately Oscar was not allowed to be here today. Carl Philip and Sofia- with the two wonderful little boys Alexander and Gabriel. And the Madeleine and Chris with the three little popcorn- which are wonderful, which are everywhere. They are really fast- fast in the head as well. I am very proud and grateful. And not least I want to thank the king, who has been so durable who had such… great patience. It is true that he has been told it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s great to stand here and have all friends in front of me. And also, what nice employees I have. It was a wonderful performance, one can say. The Oscar Theatre was set up, Vicky von der Lances with the entire ensemble. “As in Heaven”. warm thanks for the fine songs. Thanks also Carola. And I’ll probably never go out into the woods without thinking about the Little Academy. It was wonderful- so humorous and well done.

The seminar was truly a wonderful reflection of the work the Queen has done over the past 43 years. Listening to her family speak, and hearing their pride- I can’t help but echo that pride and admiration. I might be a few generations removed from being a “full” Swede and live in the United States- but Queen Silvia has always been “my Queen”. I am so proud to have a Queen who brings attention to the hard issues, and never shys away from issues of human rights, and is always looking for ways to help the vulnerable. Whether it be through Childhood, Mentor, Silviahemmet, or another organization- she brings attention, education and aid to those who need it most.

Grattis på Födelsedagen ers majestät och tack för allt du gör.

Camilla Åkrans

And if you can’t get enough of the Queen (like me), Året med Kungafamiljen (SVT) released a special full length interview with the Queen at Solliden in early July. The casual interview sees the Queen wandering around Solliden, picking strawberries, and talking about life.

]]>Happy Birthday Your Majesty!Attendance at the Swedish Academy Sarah WilliamsSat, 22 Dec 2018 03:19:12 +0000http://theroyalsandi.com/home/2018/12/21/attendance-at-the-swedish-academy57547f8ae321402ddeb4c4fb:5758461e75bcc06fca1b3742:5c1d0d474d7a9c974a37ca38Last evening, the Swedish Royal Family, in smaller number than usual, attended the annual meeting of the Swedish Academy. This is normally the family’s last event before heading into their own private Christmas Vacation and celebration of the Queen’s Birthday.

Normally we see the entire family (King, Queen, Crown Princess Couple, Prince Couple, and Princess Couple) attend the Annual Meeting, however this year it was just the King, Queen, and Crown Princess Couple. When we asked the Court about this, we were informed it was the King’s decision. The court has also hinted that the King made this choice as a result of his displeasure with the various events which have surrounded the Academy this year.

Crown Princess Victoria wore a dark navy blue outfit almost identical to her red outfit from the same event in 2014. Her jacket (both then and now) is Greta’s Stella Jacket. The tulle skirt/gown is not from Greta and remains a mystery. In 2014 I suspected Ida Sjöstedt but I no longer believe that to be the designer, I think the designer is more likely to be Pär Engsheden. She carried her Alexander McQueen clutch and wore simple jewels. I did spot her Ebba Brahe 3 Star Bracelet on one photo- but that was the only bracelet that I could distinguish from the limited photos shared from this event.

Queen Silvia wore her Armani Collezioni Jacket over a long black skirt. She wore a dark pearl necklace and dark accessories.

]]>Christmas Greeting from HagaSarah WilliamsThu, 20 Dec 2018 00:43:26 +0000http://theroyalsandi.com/home/christmas-201857547f8ae321402ddeb4c4fb:5758461e75bcc06fca1b3742:5c1ad8380ebbe8b8e32bf3bdThis morning, the Court released the Crown Princess Family’s Annual Christmas Video. This video, shot earlier this month at Haga Palace, features the family of 4 making decorations for their house.

The Swedes never disappoint to share videos and photos full of “normal” family dynamics and cute moments. This year’s video features both children singing traditional Swedish Christmas Songs- including one of my favorites- Tre Pepparkaksgubbar!

Kungahuset.se

For this video we can see the family dressed in casual and cozy clothing. Crown Princess Victoria wears a sweater from Filippa K, first seen at a Hockey Match in Ocklebo earlier this year. Princess Estelle looks sweet in a dress from Bonpoint. (Thanks Mode för de Små)

Are you curious what they were saying in the video? Check out the translation on our sister site: UFO No More.

Kungahuset.se

]]>A Seminar Fit for a QueenSarah WilliamsTue, 18 Dec 2018 16:27:30 +0000http://theroyalsandi.com/home/2018/12/18/a-seminar-fit-for-a-queen57547f8ae321402ddeb4c4fb:5758461e75bcc06fca1b3742:5c190ef4f950b771bd9e1a0bToday was a real treat for those of us who follow the royal family. As many of you probably know, Queen Silvia celebrates her 75th Birthday this upcoming Sunday. What does one get for a Queen? Why a seminar of course! Specifically a seminar focusing on the charity work that she has been apart of during her last 43 years as Queen of Sweden.

For the Seminar, the Queen was joined by the King, all of her children, and Princess Estelle. The King’s sister Princess Christina and her husband Tord Magnusson also attended. All 260 court staff members were invited as well as representatives from her various organizations. The guest list was over 500 names long.

The Queen celebrated in style, wearing a suit made for her by Göran Alfredsson from Thalia. Her necklace is one which we have seen both her and Princess Lilian wear before. Upon arrival, the Queen wore a blue alpaca coat from Cinzia Rocca.

Fresh off a flight from Florida, Princess Madeleine looked radiant in a dress from Erdem. She paired it with new black hoop earrings from Ebba Brahe, black Gianvito Rossi pumps, and a Chanel bag. When arriving, Madeleine wore her trusted ruffle coat from Prada.

If you are interested in watching the seminar, SVT will show it this Sunday at 16:40. If you have not already watched, be sure to check out SVT’s Interview Documentary with the Queen. If you don’t speak Swedish- don’t worry- if you use Chrome as your web browser and translate the page- when you watch the interview, all you have to do is turn on the subtitles and they will automatically translate for you!

]]>Democracy and Christmas TreesSarah WilliamsTue, 18 Dec 2018 01:15:59 +0000http://theroyalsandi.com/home/2018/12/17/democracy-and-christmas-trees57547f8ae321402ddeb4c4fb:5758461e75bcc06fca1b3742:5c183aca0ebbe876068a6525What an odd combination, not two things I would typically put together: Christmas Trees and a Democracy- but combinations like this must become the norm when you are apart of the Swedish Royal Family (or write about them).

Today King Carl XVI Gustaf and Crown Princess Victoria attended a seminar, Rösträttens århundrade" (The Century of Voting Right) at Riksdag. These seminars celebrate the breakthrough of Democracy in Sweden. Two newly written anthologies were presented and two exhibitions were opened.

The King and Crown Princess were welcomed by Speaker Andreas Norlén who also then initiated the seminar with a speech. The conference was then led by moderator Cecilia Garme alongside the anthology, Century of the Voting Right, editors. The seminar also saw Professors Christina Florin, Fia Sundevall, Jan Teorell, and Lena Wängnerud and Lecturer Ulrika Holgersson talk about the history, struggles, and future of democracy.

Crown Princess Victoria wore a red jacket from Pär Engsheden, first seen with a matching skirt at Prince Gabriel’s christening. She paired it with a new white blouse from Baum und Pferdgarten - featuring pearl buttons and lace details on the sleeves. She wore a black pencil skirt and black pumps (likely Gianvito Rossi). She finished the outfit with her Balmain x H&M clutch and Dulong earrings.

Prince Carl Philip received the annual Christmas Tree’s at the palace today bringing along his “little elf” to help.

Prince Alexander looked to be in high spirits as he helped his father Receive the trees from the students of the forestry studies program at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. This is a yearly tradition for the Royal family and something that the little Prince and Princesses of Sweden are no stranger to. It has become a tradition for the students to bring small trees each year, especially for the children.

]]>Exclusive! The Royal Couple and Princess Madeleine meet up in New York CitySarah WilliamsSun, 25 Nov 2018 17:40:42 +0000http://theroyalsandi.com/home/2018/11/25/exclusive-the-royal-couple-and-princess-madeleine-meet-up-in-new-york-city57547f8ae321402ddeb4c4fb:5758461e75bcc06fca1b3742:5bfaceed032be4911014b650Last weekend, amid their busy schedule, the King and Queen of Sweden found time to slip away for their official engagements in New York, to attend the 70th Birthday party of their personal friend Lena Kaplan. While it was reported that there was not enough time in the schedule for the King and Queen to go to Florida, we can reveal that Princess Madeleine met the couple at the party in New York City.

Lena Kaplan was born in Sweden but has lived in the United States since she was a teenager. Her father, Gunnar Björck, was King Gustaf VI Adolf’s personal doctor. Lena married American entrepreneur Gilbert Kaplan in 1970 and began SVEA “an organization aimed at helping Swedish women stay in touch with their cultural roots through events and other traditions”. Lena also has been on boards of numerous charities and Swedish-American Organizations. Somewhere through all of this she became one of Queen Silvia’s closest friends. Lena is currently Vice-Chair of Childhood USA.

It is often been reported that if the Queen goes to New York City alone, without the King, she stays with Lena at her apartment on 5th Avenue. Lena also became close to Princess Madeleine and was a great support system when the Princess moved to New York City in 2009. Lena has been a fixture at all memorable events relating to the Royal Family, attending all three of the children’s weddings as well as numerous christening and birthday parties.

Her 70th Birthday was celebrated with a party thrown by her four children at the Rainbow Room in New York City. The party included countless friends arriving from around the world, live music, and plenty of dancing all around. Lena’s grandchildren surprised her with a choreographed dance number to ABBA’s Dancing Queen and there were speeches given by her various family members.

Princess Madeleine commented (using her previously reported Private Instagram Account) confirming her attendance at the event and other guests snaps of the party reveal the family’s attendance as well. It is unknown if Chris O’Neill was also in attendance at the time this post was written.

]]>Crown Princess Couple's trip to Jordan and LebanonVictoriaHeaven LeeMillerSat, 20 Oct 2018 15:28:06 +0000http://theroyalsandi.com/home/2018/10/19/trip-to-jordan-and-lebanon57547f8ae321402ddeb4c4fb:5758461e75bcc06fca1b3742:5bc9f5d4eef1a1a7f4987ba5From October 15th to October 19th, Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel made an official visit to Jordan and Lebanon. The purpose of this trip was to strengthen the good relations between Sweden and the two countries, highlight the UN sustainability goals within Agenda 2030, focusing on gender equality and climate and humanitarian issues.

Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel spent the first two and a half days in Amman, Jordan. On October 15th, they visited the Citadel of Amman, located on the highest of Jordan’s seven classic hills, Jebel al-Qala’a. In the evening, the couple attended a reception hosted by Sweden’s Ambassador to Jordan Erik Ullenhag, for UN organisations operating in Jordan with the Swedish government. The Crown Princess is an advocate for UN’s Sustainability Goals which were discussed during the reception.

A post shared by Kungahuset (@kungahuset) on Oct 16, 2018 at 1:01pm PDT

For the day event, Victoria wore an ufo white blazer that she first wore last May with a new By Malina shirt (with thanks to Samantha!). She paired the outfit with her Rizzo pumps and a new pink crossbody bag. In the evening, she changed into a white shirt with her Baum und Pferdgarten skirt, Aquatalia black pumps, her Anya Hindmarch gold clutch and new Edblad earrings.

On their second day in Amman, Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel made five-kilometre hike on the Jordan Route trail. The hike gave them the opportunity to discover the beautiful landscapes while learning about how several organizations are working to protect the environment. Afterward, the couple met with the organisation EcoPeace Middle East at the Dead Sea. They also visited the baptism site of Jesus, Scandinavian forest, and the Palestinian refugee camp Al Baq’a. In the evening, they attended another reception hosted by the Ambassador.

For the hike, Victoria wore a new Lexington printed shirt with Lexington trousers, old ufo earring and new sneakers. For the meetings afterward, she wore a new Tiger of Sweden blouse with the same trousers and sneakers as earlier in the day with her Anine Bing jacket and Hippi Grace bag. In the evening, she wore a new & Other Stories maxi dress that is not available online yet (with thanks to Svenskdam) with her Tiger of Sweden pumps and Swarovski clutch.

October 17th was their third and last day in Amman. They first visited the rehabilitation centre, the Al Hussein Society, that aims to help people with disabilities and the Jordan River Foundation - Queen Rania’s foundation - focusing on children’s safety, female entrepreneurship, and local development. Their last event in Jordan was a meeting with King Abdullah and Queen Rania at Al Husseiniya Palace. They departed Jordan after the meeting.

A post shared by Kungahuset (@kungahuset) on Oct 17, 2018 at 12:43pm PDT

Victoria wore a new Samsoe & Samsoe matching top and pleated skirt with her By Malene Birger pumps and Kreuger earrings. For the meeting with the King and Queen of Jordan, she changed into a new printed dress with her YSL blue suede pumps and Kreuger feather earrings.

Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel officially arrived in Beirut, Lebanon a few hours later. In the evening, they were welcomed at the Presidential Palace in Beirut by Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun before attending a dinner hosted by Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariris.

For their arrival, Victoria wore a new By Malina dress with her Abro clutch and Gianvito Rossi pumps. For the evening events, she wore a new white custom made Ida Sjöstedt dress based on an AW17 gown with Aquatalia black pumps and her Swarovski clutch.

On their second day in Beirut, Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel visited the Palestinian refugee camp Burj al Barajneh and the Yarmouk Elementary School for Girls. Afterwards, they attended the conference “Lebanon Multi-Stakeholder SDG Forum” where Victoria made the keynote speech. They visited the International Rescue Committee (IRC) Livelihood Center before visiting the city of Beirut with the Prime Minister of Lebanon. In the evening, they attended a reception at the Swedish Embassy.

A post shared by Kungahuset (@kungahuset) on Oct 18, 2018 at 1:08pm PDT

For the visit to the refugee camp, Victoria wore a new floral Stenströms shirt with her Marville Road trousers, her Chloé flats and Dulong Jewellery earrings. For the conference, she changed into a new Sandro dress with old blue suede pumps, her Anya Hindmarch clutch and another pair of Dulong earrings. In the evening, she wore a new By Malina maxi dress.

On their last day in Lebanon, Crown Princess Victoria only had solo events. She visited the KAFA organisation “Enough violence & exploitation,” and the UN Refugee Body UNHCR. She ended her visit with a visit to Beiteddine Palace.

Today the King, Queen and Crown Princess Couple are visiting Pau, France in connection with the 200th Anniversary of the Bernadotte Dynasty. They began their day with King Carl XVI Gustaf inaugurating the restored Musee Bernadotte.

After the visit to the museum, the family visited the Pau City Hall, where the mayor hosted a lunch reception. Following this reception they will visit Beaumont Park. The King will plant an oak tree in the Park, at the very same place where Oscar II planted a magnolia on 11th April 1899. It is expected that Crown Princess Victoria will make a speech at the Park event. (photos to be added as events occur)

Crown Princess Victoria wore a new dress from Camilla Thulin today. The Montana dress is available in black, blue or Victoria’s burgundy is a pieces that we hope will become a staple in Victoria’s wardrobe this autumn! Victoria carried a clutch first seen a few weeks ago from Abro and one of her favorite pairs of patent leather pumps from Gianvito Rossi. She finished the outfit off with earrings and a ring from Bvlgari, pieces she’s had in her jewelry box for over 10 years!

Crown Princess Victoria also had a large number of silver chain bracelets on her wrist. Based on the number and which bracelets I know she owns these are my predictions for which she was wearing. (Note it was impossible to be exactly sure based on the photos I saw but I am confident that these are likely on her wrist)

She owns 2 of these- One with Estelle’s Date of Birth and One with Oscar’s Date of Birth

Sophie by Sophie Diamond Heart Bracelet
]]>Estelle's First Day of SchoolSarahTue, 21 Aug 2018 20:28:35 +0000http://theroyalsandi.com/home/2018/8/21/estelles-first-day-of-school57547f8ae321402ddeb4c4fb:5758461e75bcc06fca1b3742:5b7c72670e2e7231625ea1d9Today, Princess Estelle was accompanied by her parents to her first day of school! This post will be short in length, because like Estelle, I too began school today! Except I am not the student- this time I am the teacher! The students arrive tomorrow and let me tell you- the emotions are equally nerves as they are excitement!

Kungahuset.se

These events mean I have even less time to blog so I expect that for my first month or so I am going to try to write one or two sentences with a couple of photos and then let you know outfit details. Hopefully as I get my feet under me better, I can expand the posts back up to their regular length in time!

]]>Estelle's First Day of SchoolVictoriadagen Concert in BorgholmSarah WilliamsSat, 14 Jul 2018 17:47:44 +0000http://theroyalsandi.com/home/2018/7/14/victoriadagen-concert-in-borgholm57547f8ae321402ddeb4c4fb:5758461e75bcc06fca1b3742:5b4a2ea7f950b741b89ad518This evening, the entire Royal Family joined together to attend the annual Victoriadagen Concert in Borgholm.

The concert and prize ceremony has become a staple on the family's (and my) calendar and this year is special because it marks the end of the era that Kay Wiestål will be organizing it. This year's concert features Alexander Rybak, Peter Jöback (one of my favorites!) and John Lundvik.

As for fashion, the royal family always brings out their summer best. Crown Princess Victoria and Queen Silvia always pay tribute to the island of Öland by wearing traditional folkdress. This is a tradition which Queen Silvia began in the 1970s and that they have upheld since then. Princess Estelle joined the family this evening wearing a new summer dress featuring smocking and floral print and sandals. She could be seen carrying a blanket for her lap in case it got chilly. Princess Madeleine rewore her Red Valentino Georgette Dress which she first wore back in June before the christening of Princess Adrienne. She paired the dress with her Valentino Rockstud Sandals and Bgo & Me earrings. She carried a new bag from the brand Street Level- sold at Nordstroms, Anthropology and more- and surprisingly affordable!

]]>Happy Birthday Victoria!Sarah WilliamsSat, 14 Jul 2018 15:11:14 +0000http://theroyalsandi.com/home/2018/7/14/happy-birthday-victoria57547f8ae321402ddeb4c4fb:5758461e75bcc06fca1b3742:5b4a09e588251b376e968b8eWell, it is one of my favorite days of the year- Victoriadagen! This year, Crown Princess Victoria is celebrating her 41st birthday and it is the 40th official Victoriadagen held in Solliden.

We will see the entire family later this evening for the annual concert. When that event happens, we will post again!

]]>Crown Princess Victoria attends the Ocean SummitSarahMon, 18 Jun 2018 20:30:28 +0000http://theroyalsandi.com/home/2018/6/18/crown-princess-victoria-attends-the-ocean-summit57547f8ae321402ddeb4c4fb:5758461e75bcc06fca1b3742:5b2809f0758d463caab88fc2Today, Crown Princess Victoria attended the 2018 Ocean Summit in Gothenberg. The Ocean Summits are held in conjunction with the Volvo Ocean Race which we both Crown Princess Victoria as well as Prince Carl Philip have taken a role in over the past few years. Today's summit brought together people who work in sport, science, government, NGO’s and the private sector in order to take part in dialogues and discussion as well as to create local relevance with the hopes of ensuring Clean Seas for the future.

The Crown Princess began the day taking part in the Summit, held at the Ocean Club in Frihamnen,Gothenburg- and later was able to go around and meet with different people involved and visit some of the boats.

Towards the end of the day, she took part in Volvo Ocean Race's ProAm Race- sailing on the 'Turn the Tide on Plastic' boat. It is on this boat that the only Swedish participant- Martin Strömberg, will sail on. Prince Carl Philip will attend part of the race held in the Netherlands this weekend.

For today's engagements, Crown Princess Victoria looked Nautically Chic (I'm coining that as an official term) wearing her beloved Francis blazer (in Navy) from Hunkydory. She owns this blazer in 3 colors, however this Navy color is the one we see the most frequently. She paired this blazer with a half striped shirt (no identification at the moment) and her blue Valentino Rockstud bag. She accessorized with her Dulong Luna necklace and earrings and wore navy pumps (first seen in September 2017- unidentified). To participate in the race, she traded in her heels for a pair of navy sneakers first seen in May this year during her hike of Småland.

Now that you have gotten over the fact that I have posted for the first time in April- let me share with you some exciting news. I am back! I have graduated from College and finished my internship/practicum. I am so relieved to be done and I am thrilled to be back to blogging. I have really missed being able to read and write about the Swedes!

Today both the King and Queen as well as Crown Princess Couple took part in various events organized to remember the anniversary of the horrific terrorist attacks that occurred in Stockholm last year. The King and Queen attended a memorial service at Adolf Frederik Church while Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel attended a concert held at Kungsträdgården.

The concert program, hosted by Mark Levengood, consisted of a speech by Prime Minister Stefan Löfven as well as musical performances by Malena Ernman, Jill Johnson, Lars Winnerbäck, Stephen Simmonds, Menke and Get Up Soul Choir.

Crown Princess Victoria was noticeably moved by the concert and was photographed brushing aside tears. If you don't recall the events that occurred last year, you can refresh yourself with our post (scroll to the end). I think last year's events really showed everyone how well equipped Victoria is for the role she has been preparing for for her entire life. The King was out of the country in Brazil when the attack happened so Victoria was regnant and really showed great strength in the role while the King flew back home. She personally visited the site of the attacks and her answers to the reporters made headlines around the world.

For this event, Crown Princess Victoria wore an old coat from H&M (probably my favorite coat that she owns honestly) which dates back to 2010 when she and Prince Daniel visited Västergötland. She paired this coat with her af Klingberg boots, Quidam bag, and Dulong earrings. It looks to me that her brooch is one of Queen Silvia's (seen here in 2014 but dates back to 2000 at least).

Queen Silvia wore her purple Armani suit. I think she might be carrying her Chanel clutch but it is very hard to tell from the photos I have seen.

Yesterday, King Carl XVI Gustaf announced that Princess Madeleine and Chris O'Neill's newest daughter would be called Princess Adrienne Josephine Alice, Duchess of Blekinge. The name was a real surprise to everyone. No one predicted a Princess Adrienne! Adrienne is actually a Bernadotte family name. Empress Josephine (who married Napoleon- not the Queen Josephine of Sweden) great-great grandmother was Adrienne Dyel de Graville (making her the 11th Great-Grandmother of the youngest generation of Bernadottes). The name Josephine while many think it is a connection to Princess Madeleine's 4th name and her ancestry- they selected it because it was actually Chris O'Neill's grandmother's name. Finally Alice, is a tribute to Princess Madeleine's grandmother, Queen Silvia's mother- Alice Sommerlath.

Princess Adrienne is the first duchess of Blekinge. Blekinge, located in southern Sweden, is the second smallest province in the country. During the press conferences given today, we also learned that Princess Adrienne has more dark hair than of her other siblings had and really does not look like like Princess Leonore or Prince Nicolas. Prime Minister Löfven described her as "sötnos" which translates to "cutie pie".

Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel, Princess Estelle, Princess Sofia, Prince Carl Philip, and Chris O'Neill joined the King and Queen in attending the Te Deum held after the Council which announced the name and duchy. Yesterday was also Crown Princess Victoria's name day which has its own celebration in the courtyard. Due to the Te Deum and Council- those events were pushed by a couple of ours into the afternoon.

Crown Princess Victoria attended the indoor events wearing her purple Tara Jarmon skirt suit which she paired with a new Nellie blouse from Greta. She carried her Quidam clutch and wore her Rizzo pumps. She wore small purple earrings to compliment the look. When she went outside to the courtyard, she changed into her favorite (ufo) black boots and put on her Ida Sjöstedt Jules coat in black.

Princess Sofia wore a new jacket (and likely dress) from Veronica Virta which she paired with one of her pairs of black Stinaa.J pumps. I cannot see a good photo of her clutch to know if it is a new or old and what brand it is.